ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 Motherboard Review

Introduction:

Today I would like to introduce you to the ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3. Yes, that is a very long name but the board packs a punch equivalent to its mouthful of a model number. The M4A88TD-V EVO combines the 880G Northbridge with the proven SB850 Southbridge for a combination designed to kill. The 880G chipset is designed for mid-range enthusiasts who want performance from their system without having to pay a premium for it. Some of the featuers the 880G chipset offers includes support for the latest AMD Phenom II and Athlon II processors, HyperTransport 3.0, ATI Stream Technology, Windows 7 support and integrated graphics with DirectX 10.1 support.

ASUS has packed in some of their own special features as well into this board such as ASUS's Xtreme Design technology. With one click overclocking and instant-on Hybrid OS, you have the basis for a killer system. These technologies that ASUS has built their boards with make them one of the most stable and well performing boards I have seen and hopefully the M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 will continue on with that tradition. If I have you wanting to know more, then let's dig in and take a better look at this motherboard.

Closer Look:

The ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 motherboard comes packaged in the traditionalal green style motif that we have been seeing on other ASUS AMD Xtreme Design boards such as the ASUS M4A89GTD-PRO/USB3. The front of the package displays the Xtreme Design logo which is the heart of newer ASUS motherboards. Xtreme Design stands for the way ASUS designs the board with performance, safety and reliability as their number one priorities. This means better quality components and implementation allowing for longer life and better system performance for the end user. There is also a Hybrid Logo which means the board supports both the integrated graphics and discrete graphics cards with CrossFireX and with the right discrete card, can also support Hybrid CrossFireX with the integrated video for added performance. One other logo of note is that this is one of the few AMD boards that supports 2000MHz memory speeds. On the rear of the box there are highlights of the main features including Core Unlocker, GPU Boost, MemOK and Turbo Key II. There are also the specifications for you to make sure this is the right one for your needs.

When you open the box you are greeted with the accessories included with this ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 motherboard. There is a basic supply of accessories including the manual and driver CD, one ASUS Case Badge, the Q-Shield backplate, one IDE cable for up to two devices, two SATA 6.0Gb/s cables and the Q-Connectors for the front panel connections.

Now that everything is out of the box we can get a better look at the board up close.